Refrigerators and freezers generally have on their door an elastic gasket with an integrated magnet which has the function of pulling the door-side gasket bead against the sealing contact surface on the appliance body. Due to the geometric properties of such pivot doors, however, the desired optimal sealing interface is often not achieved, especially in the region of the door adjacent the pivot axis, despite obliquely positioned magnets present in the gasket profile. The magnet prematurely attracts the gasket against the appliance body such that the gasket does not seat in optimal fashion and may flex as the door continues to pivot closed. Both problems result in an unsatisfactory seal which may cause increased frost formation in the freezer space, and more generally, premature wear of the gasket.
FIG. 11 shows a refrigerator of the known type in the region of the sealing interface between pivotable door and appliance body, the door being shown in the closed position with the gasket optimally seated. The appliance body 1 has an essentially flat sealing contact surface 2 on which rests the gasket 3 attached to the door 6. As FIG. 11 shows, gasket 3 is designed as an elastic sealing bead in which a magnet 4 is integrated. This magnet pulls gasket 3 against the metal sealing contact surface 2 of appliance body 1. The optimum sealing interface shown in FIG. 11 for gasket 3 is often not achieved, however:
When door 6 is pivoted in the closing direction around the essentially vertical pivot axis 5 from the pivoted-open position, the magnet 4 first contacts sealing contact surface 2 of appliance body 1, as shown in FIG. 12. This situation also occurs if magnet 4 is positioned at an oblique angle. When door 6 continues to be pivoted in the closing direction from the position of FIG. 12, it may happen that door magnet 4 contacts appliance body 1 during the closing process due to the attractive force and cannot be moved into the optimum position during the continuing closing process by gasket 3. This sealing interface is of variable size, depending on the tolerances present. Magnet 4 seemingly prematurely attaches itself in fixed position by suction—with the result the gasket 3 flexes. FIG. 13 shows an unreliably deformed gasket 3 of this type which can only create an insufficient seal. In addition, the above-mentioned flexure of gasket 3 results in premature wear of the gasket.